Fuel receiving and conveying apparatus



Nov. 13, 1951 E. MARTIN FUEL RECEIVING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 11, 1946 JNVENTOR. EUGENE Mner/N NOV. 13, 195] 1 FUEL RECEIVING AND. CONVEYING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR. FUG'E/VE' Mnemy Nov. 13, 1951 MAR-N 2,575,023

FUEL RECEIVING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 11, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

IN VENT 0R. Fuss/v5 MH7V Y A/AW E. MARTIN FUEL RECEIVING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Nov. 13, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 11, 1946 VENTOR.

Patented Nov. 13, 1951 STATES OFFICE FUEL RECEIVING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Eugene Martin wesleyville, Pa assignor to Read 1 "Standard Corporation, a corporation *ofmela- "ware Application December 11, [946, Serial No. 115,196 1 This invention relates to material conveying "inechanism and is directed, more particularly, to

an improved coal conveying -unit of a locomotive s'toker for ap lication to the locomotive tender.

"The current trend onin'an railroads "is toward the elimination of "fuel stops 'through the use of longer tenders havm "greater "coal carrying capaeity. Road clearances, tunnels, etc, limit the fwidth and height of the tender fuel bin, so that additional coal space {can only be provided by "len'g'theningof the tender fuel 'bin. The conventional single screw if applied 'to such 'a -fuel bin "wouie be of such length "that it would be difficult to handle and install, and in those instances where the Stoker is operated without slidelplates, the weight of the additional coal on the screw conveyor imposes an undesirably high load.

Various sectional screw arrangements and 'troug'h constructions have previously been sug- .g es'ted asi'llustrated in U. S. Patent2,029,29'7 to C. Peyton, issued February 4, 1936, "for use in -iee't of the present invention to provide an improv d Stoker 'iiriit of the general type shown in the Peyton patent, employing offset screw con- "veyors and troughs, which is simple in construc- "the drive connections 'for the conveyor screws are readily accessible for purpose of installation,

"r'e'p'alir bi remacement.

Itisanothe'r object of the invention to provide improved operating mechanism for the onset screw conveyors in a'stoker tender unit 'ofthe above type; Whereby'the frori't tender s'c'r'ewmay be operated independently of the back tender screw and when necessary, both screws may be conveniently operated together.

With thesev andothe'r objects in view, the invention consists in "the 'novel construction, arrangeriient and combination of parts, as will be understood "from "thepre'ferre'cl "and practical embodiment of the invention hereinafter described and illustrated in theacconipanyi'n'g drawings, ih'whieh v Figure 1 is aview oi the'novel stoker "trough in side elevation shown applied to a locomotive tender;

Figure'2 isa fragmentary enlargedplan view'of an intermediate portion of the novel stoker trough shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical centralsection through that portion "'of'the invention illus- "trated in Figure 2'; I

Figure i ,is a sectional view taken on the line i=4 of Figure 3;

- Figure '5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a dimetricitiewoftherearward "por- :tion' of the novel steker trough with parts of the gear housing broken away to show the drive "mechanism;

"In the drawings, referring particularly to Fig-- ure 1;the letter T designates a locomotive tender and S a stoker fordeliver-ingiuel from "the'tender to the locomotive. The locomotive and the forward end of the stoker are not shown, since the invention resides in thetender unit of the Stoker.

The tender T is provided with a frame it and a fuel bi-n H, the latter having a floor L2 in which is formed a longitudinally elongated opening -I 3 extending substantially the length of the fuel bin and prefeiably'centrally between the sides thereof to form a downwardly opening 'fuel discharge outlet. A Stoker hopper t' l is mounted in the space between the tender frame l I] and the fuel bin floor I 2 and extends longitudinally beneath shown in Figure 2; Bent sheet metal=plates2 2 and 23 are suitably secured, by rivetingzor weld- "i'n'g, tothe castings I 5 and I1, and castings 16 and 18, respectively; the plate 22 and castings f5 and l"! forming a generally U -shaped iront trough 2'4, and 'theplate "2 3 castings 1'6 and t8 forming a generally U -shaped rear trough 2 5.

The upper edges *o f'the :frontftrough and "rear *trough 25 are-"preferably in the same horiis in a. plane above the floor of the front trough 24, so that the delivery end of the rear trough 25 is offset above the receiving nd of the front trough 24, The bottom of the front trough 24 preferably inclines from its receiving to its discharge end.

Fuel is conveyed through the hopper. l4 by screw conveyors 26 and 21 mounted, respectively, in the troughs 24 and 25. Since the bottom wall portions of the troughs 24 and 25 are offset in planes one above the other, as previously described, and the screw conveyors 26 and 21 are mounted in the bottom of the troughs, as shown in Figure 3, it is apparent that they are similarly offset with respect to each other. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that the axes of the screw conveyors 26 and 21 lie in the same vertical longitudinal plane; The forward end of the rear screw conveyor 21 extends forwardly beyond the rearward end of the front screw conveyor 26 and projects into the front trough 24.

The screw conveyors 26 and 21 are driven from their rearward ends through gearing disposed in the gear housing 28, see Figure 6, which is preferably formed as part of the rear casting l6. The mechanism for driving the screw conveyors comprises a driving engine (not shown) connected with the reduction gearing in gear housing 28 through a system of connected shafts, including the drive shaft 29 which is journaled in bearing 36 formed with the rear casting l6, and a bearing (not shown) formed on the inside of the gear housing cover 3|.

The drive shaft 29 is provided with a pinion 32 meshing with a reduction gear 33 which is mounted on the reduction gear shaft 34. The reduction gear shaft 34 is provided with the pinions 35 and 36 mounted, respectively, fore and aft of the reduction gear 33. Pinions 35 and 36 mesh with reduction gears 31 and 38, respectively, mounted on driven shafts 39 and 46, respectively. A coupling 4| connects the forward end of shaft 39 with the rearward end of a shaft 42 which extends forwardly beneath the rear trough 25, the torque being transmitted from the front end of shaft 42 to the rearward end of front screw conveyor 26 through connecting means, as best shown in Figure 3 and as described hereinafter.

The reduction gear 38 is loosely mounted on the shaft 46, the rear portion of the shaft 46 being splined as at 43 to accommodate a sliding clutch 44. The clutch 44 is provided with projecting lugs or teeth 45 adapted to cooperatively engage complementary projecting teeth 9 formed on the gear 38. For operating the clutch 44 there is provided a rock shaft 46 journaled in the gear housing cover 3| upon which is rigidly mounted a yoke or bifurcated member 41. Each fork of bifurcated member 41 is provided in its free end with a recess 48 adapted to receive a pin or lug 49 projecting outwardly from a split collar 50 that is mounted in an annular groove of the clutch 44. v

The clutch is operated by means of a clutch operating handle 8 atthe front of the tender, movement of the handle being transmitted to the clutch operating lever 52 through the clutch operating rod 53. When the rod 53 is pulled forward the collar 50, by reason of its connection with the bifurcated member 41, will move the clutch 44 in engagement with the gear 38, whereby rotating movement is transmitted to the shaft 46 and thence to rear screw conveyor 21 with which it is operatively connected. By disengaging the clutch 44, the rear screw conveyor 21 will 4 remain idle while the front screw conveyor 26 continues to operate.

At its forward end, the rear screw conveyor 21 is journaled in a bearing 54 pendently supported by the T-shaped bearing support 55, the ends of the arms of the T-shaped bearing support 55 being rigidly secured, in any suitable manner, to the upper side walls of thefront trough sheet 22, all as best shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

Referring particularly to Figures 2, 3 and 5, the casting l8, which forms the forward portion of the rear trough section 25, is provided adjacent the forward end of its trough-shaped bottom with a rectangular opening 56. Longitudinally extending flanges 51 and 58 depend from the trough-shaped portion of the casting l8 along the sides thereof defining the rectangular opening 56. The inner side walls of the flanges 51 and 58 are provided with the longitudinally extending horizontal guideways 59 and 60, respectively, arranged to receive the flanged guides 6| and 62, respectively of the cover plate 63, as best shown in Figure 5.

The cover plate 63 is concave in transverse cross section and when in place it completes, with the upper side walls of the casting I8, a trough-like structure. A plurality of bolts 64 secure the cover plate 63 in position. On removing the bolts 64, the cover plate 63 may be slid forward without disengaging or removing the scre conveyors 26 and 21, to expose the opening 56, thereby providing ready access to the driving connection between the shaft 42 and front screw conveyor 26.

A pedestal 65, preferably formed as an integral part of the casting l8, supports the troughshaped portion of casting I8 on the tender underframe II].

The casting l1, which forms the rearward portion of the front trough section 24, is provided with an upstanding rear wall 66, as best shown in Figures 3 and 4. The rear wall 66 is formed with an opening registering substantially with the open forward end of the trough-shaped portion 'of casting l8, providing communication between the rearward trough section 25 and the forward trough section 24 for the passage of coal from the former to the latter.

In order to drive the inclined front screw conveyor 26 from the horizontal shaft 42, a flexible drive connection is employed. The drive connection includes a coupling shaft 61 which is journaled in a bearing 68 formed with the rear wall 66 of casting H. The coupling shaft 61 is provided with a forwardly extending polygonal extension 69 entering a corresponding polygonal socket in the rearward end of the screw conveyor 26, providing a drive connection between the coupling shaft 61 and screw conveyor 26. Bolts 16, carried by the screw conveyor 26 pass loosely through the polygonal extension 69 providing for slight relative longitudinal movement between the screw conveyor 26 and coupling shaft 61 but preventing disengagement of one from the other.

Rearward thrust of the screw conveyor 26, incident to its forward conveyance of coal, is

.transmitted to the bearing 68 by a thrust washer 1| mounted to rotate with the coupling shaft 61 and a thrust washer 12 loosely mounted on shaft 61. A collar 13 secured by a bolt 14 on the coupling shaft 61 immediately rearward of the bearing 68, transmits to the bearing 68 the forward thrust of the screw conveyor 26 incident to reverse operation thereof.

The shaft 42 is mounted near its forward end 5 in a bearing 75 which is secured, in any suitable manner, to the pedestal portion 65 of the casting It subjacent the rearward end of the opening 56 in the bottom of the trough-shaped portion of casting H8. The adjacent ends of shaft 42 and coupling shaft 81 are provided, respectively, with polygonal extensions i6 and I? on which are mounted, respectively coupling members 18 and 19 of a flexible coupling. The coupling members 18 and 79 have a polygonal bore, arranged to re- ,1

ceive the polygonal shaft extensions 16 and 77, respectively, providing a drive connection between each shaft extension and its respective coupling member, while at the same time permitting relative longitudinal movement between each shaft extension and its respective coupling member.

The adjacent ends of coupling members 72 and 19 are provided with loosely interfitted tongues, as best shown in Figures 3 and 5, the coupling member 18 having diametrically opposite tongues 80 and BI, and the coupling member 19 having diametrically opposite tongues 82 and 83. The interfitted tongues 85], ill, 82 and 83 provide for transmission of torque from one coupling member to the other, while the loose fit of the tongues provide a flexible drive connection between the horizontal shaft 42 and the inclined coupling shaft 61 and screw conveyor 26. A spring 80 under compression and mounted within the interfitted tongues normally limits the depth of engagement of the tongues, to eliminate binding between the coupling members when in operation.

It is evident from the above description that the flexible drive connection between shaft 42 and front screw conveyor 26 is outside the passage of the coal through the hopper i l and therefore free of interference, and is readily accessible through opening 56 of the trough shaped portion of casting is upon sliding the cover plate 63 forward.

In order to remove the parts of the flexible coupling or the coupling shaft 6! for purpose of replacement or repair, the bolt M holding the collar 13 on the coupling shaft 61 can be removed through the opening 56 upon sliding the cover 6 plate 63 forward. The bolts 70 securing the front screw conveyor 25 and coupling shaft 6'! can be removed, the screw conveyor 26 pulled forward, and then the coupling shaft 5? can be pulled forward, thereby freeing the parts of the flexible coupling.

I claim:

A Stoker trough adapted to be mounted throughout its length beneath the fuel bin of a locomotive tender, said trough comprising a rear-- ward open mouth trough section and a forward open mouth trough section in end to end communication, both said sections being disposed to receive fuel by gravity from said fuel bin, the bottom wall of said rearward trough section being ofiset in a plane above the bottom wall of said forward trough section at the adjacent ends of said trough sections, a connecting wall joining the adjacent ends of said rearward and forward trough section bottom walls, a recess formed in the forward end of the bottom wall of said rearward trough section extending rearward of said connecting wall, longitudinally extending guideways formed in that portion of said rearward trough section defining the sides of said recess, and a plate slidably mounted in said guideways normally closing said recess and forming part of the bottom wall of said rearward trough section, said plate being movable forwardly out of said recess into said forward trough section to provide access from within the trough to the space therebeneath through said recess.

EUGENE MARTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,311,917 Ryan Aug. 5, 1919 1,560,609 Sherbondy Nov. 10, 1925 1,889,519 Turner Nov. 29, 1932 2,029,297 Peyton Feb. 4, 1936 2,051,956 Lower Aug. 25, 1936 2,219,073 Kress Oct. 22, 1940 2,237,428 Hanna Apr. 8, 1941 

